28 September 2009

Armchair Football Mom

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It was a momentous football weekend! Cam returned to the playing field after 6-weeks of appearing on the Injured Reserve list ... and boy was he excited!

His weight division has two teams. A Saturday team (similar to the JV team structure in High School) and the Sunday team (equivalent to the Varsity squad). After not being able to physically participate in practices for six weeks (Cam did attend, but couldn't do much of anything other than watch) I didn't expect him to play much of the game on Saturday night, and knew he'd just be suiting up for Sunday without any play time. It certainly wasn't the first time I was wrong ...


As it turned out, Cam not only played the entire game Saturday night, but he played a full possession series on Sunday as well - a possession that lead to a touchdown. WooHoo!!



I wanted to give y'all a look-see at one of the things I think is terribly wrong in this league. Cam is #41. He's what they call a "double stripper" He is just a few pounds away from the max weight allowance for this league and is limited to playing center or guard on the offensive line in Sunday games (they play "high school rules" on Saturdays so he is allowed to play any position on Saturdays).

See #49? He is one of Cam's team-mates. Although there is a maximum weight in this league, there is no minimum weight. We've seen a lot of these smaller kids with some pretty significant injuries this season (#49 included). They meet the age requirements (12-14 year olds) but are physically much smaller than many of the other players.

Anyway ... I digress ... Cam had a wonderful time both Saturday and Sunday and even told me it was worth it to go to all of those practices even though he couldn't play just to have the opportunity to play in these last few games of the season. I am more than proud of his dedication to this very difficult season for him!

Now, can we talk weather?? It was sunny and beautiful when we got to the game at 1:30, but by the time we were midway into the game these clouds rolled in. We got lucky and just had a few sprinkles, but it was looking pretty dicey there for a bit.


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17 comments:

Deech said...

Yay for Cam! I think that regardless of weight, what drives these kids is the desire to play. Good for them.

Sadly, my desire to stay upright and without injury has outweighed my desire to put the uniform on....

Professor Fate said...

Yea!!! and Yea (again)!!!!

Cam is a big boy. What if he exceeds the weight during the season (or is he safe)

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

That is so wrong as far as the weight restrictions. I can imagine the injuries to the smaller kids...

Glad Cam got to play and appreciated that his effort to get to practices was rewarded.

Jay said...

Glad to see Cam back out there. I bet it felt good to get out there and hit somebody! LOL ;-)

Karen said...

Good for Cam! He must be a good player!

I always thought that size part of kid's football was unfair. I understand the reason, but still! My brother is 6'5" and close to 300 pounds now. But as a kids he was prohibited from playing Pop Warner football at all because he was so big. Instead, he played hockey where there were no size problems, but it was really sad. I remember my brother being so upset because he wanted to play and couldn't.

Unknown said...

Yea Cam!!! I bet he was just SO excited and loved every minute of it!

When my youngest turned 13, I wouldn't let him play middle school football, although he had played Pop Warner from the time he wsa 6. He was like #49, and the rest were like Cam. I felt bad, but considering how many times my son had already been to the ER since he was three for numerous incidents that didn't even include football, I wasn't taking any chances.

Vixen said...

That's awesome he got to play so much!!

That is a bit discerning to have such differently sized kids playing football together. It just seems dangerous.

Me said...

Those clouds look amazingly heavy. It's a good thing you didn't get rained out from the looks of things.

Dana said...

Joker_SATX, I think for Cam there is a big draw to feeling included and to being able to prove his worth. It was a good weekend for that!

Professor Fate, if he exceeds weight during the season he is only allowed to play in the Saturday games until he makes weight again. Max weight in his division is 210 lbs, and at 6'1 that can be a bit of a challenge for him.

Bond, what's goofy is that the weight restrictions limit what positions he can play and chances are - when he hits high school football next year - he won't even be playing the position he is relegated to now.

Dana said...

Jay, he always complains when they aren't big enough to hit back!

Karen, Cam has wanted to play since we moved here 3 years ago but the weight restrictions kept him out. He is thrilled to be playing this year!

Bina, I think there comes a time when - as a parent - you have to consider that your kid might have the heart for football, but not the heft. We are seeing a lot of kids whose parents are pushing them back on the field only to be re-injured.

Dana said...

Vixen, when you see the size discrepancy it makes you wonder what some people are thinking!

Marsha, I just knew we were going to get dumped on, but as soon as I donned my bright yellow rain poncho, it stopped. Figures ...

Evil Twin's Wife said...

I am shocked by how small some of the middle school 6th grade kids are. My son is tall (not the tallest), but I would be really worried if he were one of the smaller kids.

Real Live Lesbian said...

I bet Cam had a blast!!!! So glad he was able to get some field time!

I know those clouds entirely too well! They hung over us almost all weekend!

we're doomed said...

Two words, "football scholarship".

rage said...

Congrats for Cam on being able to play again.

However, 49 is a shrimp.

Jaimey said...

Yeah for Cam playing! I am so glad he had a good time! As for 49, I bet that is why he is in pants and holding water bottles... sad weird rules.

Schmoop said...

Here's to the Caminator. And number 49? Doug Flutie did okay. Cheers!!